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Cosmic
Posts: 26570
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Joined: 3/17/2006
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USA
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Knicks' naughty, nice in loss
Monday, December 24, 2007
By STEVE ADAMEK
STAFF WRITER
NEW YORK -- 'Twas two days before Christmas, but forget any sugar plums dancing through Knicks' heads.
Lineup changes are coming for them to sleep on, all snug in their beds.
So declared a less-than-jolly ol' Isiah Thomas after another naughty-nice loss Sunday afternoon: Lakers 95, Knicks 90.
Naughty, as in digging a 25-point hole with the likes of Eddy Curry, Fred Jones, Zach Randolph and Quentin Richardson on the floor.
Nice as in climbing back to within one and getting a Jamal Crawford three for the lead with less than 80 seconds left, with basically Crawford (who scored 30 of his 31 points in the second half) and for a time Richardson, plus reserves from among Nate Robinson, Jared Jeffries, Malik Rose and David Lee on the floor.
"We probably have the wrong guys starting," Thomas said after Kobe Bryant lit up his team for 39 points -- almost in vain. "We'll look to change our lineup and try to get some more energy and defensive guys in [it]."
Move over, Wilt
He wouldn't say who'll get coal in their stocking when, after not practicing today and Christmas, the Knicks play Wednesday in Orlando, but locker room sage Rose bluntly surmised why.
"Overall collectively, coming from this locker room on a night-in, night-out basis, there's not a 100 percent commitment to compete," said a man who owns two Spurs championship rings.
"There's got to be a point where you get tired of this happening. And right now, it seems like, no one in particular, but this locker room is just content with getting beat. No one is getting to the point where they think, screw this."
So like St. Nicholas calling to his reindeer, let the speculation begin.
Out Eddy? Out Zach?
Curry didn't start the second half and only played 3:13 of it. Randolph played just 34 seconds more, as both he and Curry (plus Jones, who didn't start or play the entire second half) served as spectators for another desperate, but futile comeback.
"They've got to defend better," Thomas said when asked if their absence suggested one change.
"If I had to change, yeah," Randolph said when asked if he'd be willing to sit.
Curry, though, skirted the same question, saying, "I just want to enjoy Christmas with my family and whatever happens, happens."
On David? On Nate?
"He wants us to play hard, I guess," said Robinson, who committed a faux pas on the game's final play, failing to realize he could step into the backcourt to catch Lee's inbounds pass before attempting a game-tying three, allowing Jordan Farmar to steal it for a game-sealing dunk.
"At times we play hard, at times we don't."
"We just need to get off to some better starts," Lee said after a 12-point, 13-rebound performance, his third straight double-double. "I don't know how to do that."
Thomas does.
"We've got to find some guys, a group, that wants to consistently defend for 48 minutes," he said. "Clearly right now we don't have that, but we do have that within this team. We'll find that and we'll play those guys."
He used four to defend Bryant -- Jones, Crawford, Richardson and Jeffries -- who with a third-quarter three became the youngest player (29) in NBA history to reach the 20,000-point mark.
He also stuck a right-lane jumper after splitting two defenders in the final minute that seemed like a dagger for a 93-90 lead, then yanked the knife out with a turnover, then a miss from the right baseline.
That gave the Knicks the last chance that Robinson (with Crawford covered in a corner by Bryant) squandered by not knowing a rule that was changed years ago.
Still, he's a likely candidate to start (probably for Jones), with Stephon Marbury three weeks and counting into grieving his father's death.
Lee could break up the Curry-Randolph pairing and Richardson (now averaging just 7.3 points on 32.4-percemt shooting) may make way for Jeffries, Renaldo Balkman or even Lee.
"Oh we'll make changes," Thomas said.
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12/25/2007 10:19 AM